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Although all the new development in the Halifax core can sometimes be a contentious issue (hello traffic problems), we can’t deny we live in a city where both our contemporary and historic architecture is beautiful. The award-winning new library that’s only a few steps from St. Paul’s Church, the oldest building in Halifax, is a great example of what makes our city special.

This isn’t the first time Halifax has undergone a building boom. The Victorian era saw big changes come as well. As the industrial revolution took hold, people came from rural areas to work in the urban area, and those who lived here sought homes to escape from the everyday toils, noise and business of the city. The home, in Victorian times, became a place of refuge and pride.

Those of the higher middle-class (or the ‘middling sort’) began to build homes that offered comfort and luxury close to the city. Some of these homes survive today. And one that has been accurately and smartly restored has come to market.

The home on the corner of Robie and South Street was built in 1872. Although it can’t be confirmed, rumours in the neighbourhood speculate that this home belonged to Simon Bradstreet Robie himself, a lawyer, judge and political figure in Halifax from 1806 to 1826.

Designers Ken McRobbie and Colin Blanchard (owners of home design studio 31 Westgate) have carefully restored this home that is just steps from Dalhousie University, the hospitals and the Public Gardens. Those familiar with their work know that this project was not taken lightly by the duo — it was done with the utmost respect to the home’s original design.

At 2,800 square feet, the home is a perfect example of Victorian Halifax — but now with the comforts we have come to expect in our modern era. It features a handmade, turned-iron staircase, coach lanterns, brass hardware and a glassed-in foyer. The entrance opens to an elegant hallway with original plaster cornices and a mahogany staircase.

The large double parlours with matching marble mantels are divided by original pocket doors. The custom window treatments and Ralph Lauren chandeliers set the mood for dining and elegant living.

The kitchen, which was featured in House & Home Magazine, features custom cabinetry, marble work surfaces, AGA cooker, bronze range hood, sub-zero fridge/freezer, gas fireplace and enough space for a large table and chairs. The den, featured in The Globe & Mail Style section, has a gas fireplace, Ralph Lauren wallcovering and custom drapery.

The elegant staircase takes you to the second floor where you will find a laundry room, four large bedrooms and a deluxe main bathroom.

When McRobbie and Blanchard took ownership of the home in 2012 it was in a state of disrepair. The previous owners had lived there since the early ’70s and had done nothing to the home. Previous to that, the renovations were done in the 1950s. But this turned out to be a blessing of sorts, as most of the home’s historical attributes were still intact, if covered in paint and facades.

The two painstakingly recreated the home, producing a new home in a Victorian shell. They replaced the roof and restored the dormers, dug out the basement, put in a new drainage system, new plumbing and electrical — all the while keeping the bones intact.

In the ’50s the kitchen ceiling had been dropped to eight feet and a facade had been built over top of the original fireplace. Blanchard and McRobbie restored the original 10-foot ceiling, and the fireplace, and while doing so found traces of the original paint colour in the pantry. They had it matched to create what appears to have been a well restored, not a renovated home.

The pair also saved as many of the original windows as they could. The designers felt if they couldn’t save as many as possible, the home would feel disjointed. Similarly, they restored the vestibule in the front of the house — it was taken apart and restored. They sought out and installed a door that was of the same period.

The intent all along, while modernizing electrical and plumbing and blowing in insulation and installing heated floors, was to honour the home’s original design. Quite obviously, they did. The result is a piece of living — and delightfully livable — Victorian history.